All The Drama

Getting ready to go out on the big mare. It was pouring rain!

Yesterday, I took Ginger out and had another not so great ride. She was REALLY being inattentive and silly, which is super frustrating and makes me feel very unsafe - I hate not having any pony brain present. She`s not herd bound at least when I take her out alone, but the focus in general is always an issue. She did eventually come back down to earth and try, and as soon as we found a happy place we quit the arena work, even though that meant a lot of walk circles and lateral work and only a bit of trot. She's like a border collie in that you can't tire her out - the normal longing or trot/canter stuff you might use normally to burn off steam only gets her more excitable and anxious. So slow and steady but keeping her mind busy it is. Rather than go straight home, she got to visit the trails in order to head up her most hated mountain and burn off some steam safely. My little plan backfired, because I let her trot it and Ginger adrenalin is strong and there is a super steep downhill on the way back to the barn and that's no fun on a panicky, bolty pony. She`s funny in that she respects her rider or handler in the moment, but the focus is totally lacking and panic sets in any time you aren`t telling her exactly what to do or where to put her feet. So she bolts off for a few feet, I react, she stops, I ride a few strides, then give her her head in an attempt to let her chose her path on the tricky slope, and she scoots off again. It`s the same issue I have in the ring - I find it exhausting to ride every second of every ride, and the minute I get distracted and let her make a decision chances are she will make a very poor one! At one point I let out a big sigh, more of despair than anything, but the big intake of breath made her spook. I forgot her thing about sneezing/coughing/sniffling/sighing if you're not already making noise or talking. It's ridiculous and something I do every ride. Oh well, at least she settled on the last stretch and we had a decent end to the ride (or maybe she just knew we were heading home)

Ginger ears on the trail headed home

I'm really reevaluating whether I want to keep Ginger in any kind of serious work. I love her, but I am simply not having much fun or feeling like I am making any progress. When it goes right, she`s amazing, but the rest of the time (vast majority) it just feels like a job I have to do. I am getting more confident, but pony brain remains incredibly fragile and unreliable and that little voice in the back of my head is telling me it's only a matter of time before one of the silly antics results in another bad fall for yours truly. Also, I hate to sound like an even bigger whiner, but I really want to be able to show and do clinics and go on rides with friends. And I do have Bridget. For this particular clinic, I`ve been riding regularly with a trainer, I brought a friend for Ginger, didn't trailer in last minute, and even stabled her at her old barn and chose a clinic at our old riding club. I don't know how to make it any easier for her! I had a conversation with S the other day and her opinion wasn't overly positive re: the quality of this particular pony's brain,  so maybe I'm just feeling a bit down on things. She`s not the first trainer to mention it (in fact she was the only one that hadn`t ha ha), so I`m not offended, at least - more just disappointed that even with her maturing a bit and having a bit better mindset these days there are still a lot of things that maybe are just `her`and can`t be trained out. I have tended to think it`s me and my riding that`s partly the issue, so when I hear people way better than I can hope to be express concerns about her general sanity it feels a bit hopeless.  I am nothing if not stubborn and persistent though, so don`t count this as my official notice quite yet.

Rain, not sweat! Picture of Ginny`s bum to show a baby step. See that dirt mark on to top of her hindquarters? For the first time ever that when I dismounted and accidently touched her with my boot she didn't lose her mind. (and yes, we've done all the sacking out and all that, but the first time you touch her anywhere and she doesn't expect it she still panics - after that you're good to go)

I booked a couple of lessons tonight, so keep your fingers crossed for a positive update...I`ve had my fill of pony drama lately and am wishing for a week in the sun with some margaritas sans horses of any sort :)

(Almost) Rock Bottom

Adding the almost to the title since no one has been injured or worse and obviously I'd hate to tempt fate and really get to explore rock bottom!

Moving both the girls together seemed like a super good idea at the time, but it's seriously coming back to bite me in a big way. I think it helped Ginger initially, since she did settle in and eat/drink right away, which never happens. But the past two days both horses have been seriously herd bound to one another and giant PITA's. I had to switch their paddocks around this morning because I just couldn't handle it anymore. They can still see/hear each other, but there are a couple of horses/paddocks between them. At last check, Ginger is still screaming, running the fence line, and refusing to eat or drink. I'm trying to not panic that she's going to colic or run through a fence or really hurt her (sometimes stiff) back end or something. I think perhaps a clean break would have been better! Neither of them have ever been particularly herd bound before, especially to each other, so this is a new thing and on a level I haven't seen before, particularly when they are sharing fence lines with other (calm, friendly) horses who I'm sure wouldn't mind being friends. I put a raincoat on her since I'm pretty sure she won't use her shelter, and it's pouring rain, so of course now I am also having flashbacks to the time she got tangled in her blanket and wouldn't let anyone rescue her. (Seriously, they had to call me to come free her so she had to wait for me to get away from work and ended up with that funny white mark on her neck from the tangled blanket giving her a pressure sore)

Random pic of the baby kitty to keep things happier.

What's even more surprising is that Bridget has lost her little mind as well. I was unprepared for that since she is always the rock steady one and she's even been to this particular place and arena before and been just fine (actually they both have, but at least with Ginger we expect she'll be upset her routine has changed). Bridget has of course moved around and been out to other barns plenty, so the last thing I expected yesterday when I rode was to have one of the more difficult rides of my life. I was so unprepared I didn't even think to bring a longe line so I was stuck riding through it. She called to Ginger a couple of times on the way out of the barn, which isn't like her, but Ginger was kicking up such a fuss I ignored it. Once I got on at the ring though, it was apparent the baby pony was gearing up for a huge meltdown. I feel like I handled it very well, since I've been there plenty with babies when I was younger and braver and just sort of went on autopilot with the bendy circles and one rein stops where necessary. Still, not a nice feeling to know my 'steady eddy' has quite so many nasty moves. My legs are still a bit tired today (and my back, oh boy, the prancy giraffe trot and crowhop canters are for younger people than me) ! Bridget doesn't intimidate me at all, at least, and we know her status quo is normally chill and lazy, so I am sure we'll work through this shortly.

SOMEONE HEEELLLLLPPPP, I am alone in the desert!!!!!! Only pic you get, needed both hands on the wheel :)

I'm really wishing I had just brought Bridget or Ginger alone - both of them together is competely overwhelming at the moment and I may go deaf from all the screaming. So much drama. This was supposed to be fun! I'll do a recap on Ginger's outing tomorrow, since I don't think I can put much more negativity and whining paranoia into one post. I'll explode the internet or something.

On the plus side, when I went to the tack store this morning to replace a broken halter and some stolen tack (told you it's been a bad week), I saw these awesome blue full seats in the super clearance bin and they were my size! I'm choosing to believe the universe was sending me a sign that I've not been completely forsaken - after all, it was only hours after publicly admitting my desire for some blue breeches on Lauren's happy blue breech post. Also, I'm pretty sure full seats are going to be neccessary this week, so double win! (And yes, I think I've just admitted that I'm almost OK with my tack getting stolen and my horses trying to kill me - apparently all it took was a pair of blue breeches in the clearance bin to make me believe the world is still on my side lol)

All Moved

Into our temporary accommodations for the week! Fingers crossed, they settled in just fine. Ginger even remembers the area and seems happy to visit the old 'hood.

In keeping with our drama theme this week, there were questions over who was trailering who (and with who and when) so I opted to stay out of it and find my own way. It's only about 8 miles barn to barn  through a fairly direct hydro easement, so not a huge ride really, when one has the time. I was planning to ride one and pony the other, but G wanted to come along for the walk and I felt mean riding while he walked, so we both ended up just walking the horses over. I would sound so dedicated if I said I walked my horses for 3 hours to get to a clinic, but seriously it was a beautiful day, the trails were dry, and we were all happy to get out for some exercise. I'm extra glad I didn't book any trailering!

It was a nice afternoon well spent. We made Bridget pack lunch and stopped lakeside for a picnic. When we arrived at the barn we're staying at, there were two big side by side paddocks available for the girls. They happily settled in for dinner and seemed really relaxed - no running or calling even when the resident horses got a little excited about the newcomers. Trailering them over would have certainly been more time efficient and better practice for an away show, but call me crazy, I'd walk them again anytime.

Actual riding and pictures tomorrow, I promise.

Worst Case?

Today's lesson was...interesting, and I think my 'worst case' scenario for the lovely Ms Ginger. I don't know if I mentioned the circumstances behind the last bad fall I had, but essentially someone ran their horse (at a gallop) right up Ginger's butt - she bolted and kind of dove in sideways at the same time and I met the ground hard enough to get a concussion (yes I had my helmet on) and a very sore tailbone. This isn't going to be a rant pointing fingers - I really think when you're sharing a public arena, stuff like that is bound to happen eventually (and one day it might be me inadvertently causing someone else an issue). We've spent a bit of time since getting Ginger less reactive to the other horses around her. Still, she's Ginger, and pretty sensitive and aware of her surroundings and I was in no way confident she'd keep a lid on things if the same situation presented itself. I'll admit to really enjoying my quiet little ring partly for that very reason!

Ginger gives us a dramatic reenactment of the results of other ponies getting too close to her bum

Thank goodness S got on Ginger first, because we had company today, and long story short, the same exact scenario played out again. This time, S was in the saddle and handled it very quietly and efficently. The other rider fell off after her horse ran into Ginger and there was a bit of commotion. Ginger was immediately back to being really intimidated and panicky by having another horse in the ring - even Bridget :( S wisely opted to keep Ginger in the center and watch the other horse and rider (who got back on and was oblivious - I guess we could have said something, but as S said, it's also an issue with Ginger we need to work through anyways, might as well turn it into training opportunity!) Over the next 15 minutes or so, she was able to get Ginger closer and closer to the rider cantering around, and just let her stand and chill out when she was relaxed enough. I rode Bridget around her too until she visibly relaxed. I'll call it a win. Although she's back to not being overly trusting of other riders in the ring, it was good for me to see someone work her through it quietly and safely. More tools in the belt, right? I didn't ride because Ginger was mentally just done by the time S got off, but surprisingly I didn't feel overly worried or intimidated by the inadvertent 'worst ride' flashback.

Happy girls from a couple of days ago

On the plus side, I had a decent ride on Bridget. Also, because S is the best, I get another lesson this week with Ginger to make up for the non ride I had today and to get us more confident for the clinic. She's getting paid regardless - I can't even describe how much I appreciate her and other riders in a public arena aren't her problem!  S also got a job riding the 'scary' horse from today - so she's single handedly making our local riding scene a little bit better all the time lol

Times Two

We're continuing to enjoy completely unseasonal weather. Warm temps and sunshine means everyone is out mowing their lawns and the crocuses and cherry trees are blooming. I seriously need to get the garden started, but of course with weather like this I'm more apt to spend my days in the saddle than anywhere else!

Today, I was going to take Ginger out solo, but Midge barged her way into the barn behind us. I've mentioned before she's impossible to shoo out once she gets in, so by the time I got a halter on her I decided I might as well brush her too, which led to just dragging her along with us, which of course led to me riding her as well. Midge loves attention, so rather than the outing acting as a deterrant, I expect I only reinforced her desire to get into the barn!

Dual rock star poses! They're funny, they both park where I put them and make saddle swapping easy.

Ginger was good, although quite reactive. I think I didn't ride her as well as a couple of days ago...she wanted to give me some nice work but I don't think I gave her enough rein to start and she got a little fussy and stiff. I adjusted myself and got her going better, even though the left bend was not great. To address that, we did some modified figure eights at a trot - I kept her on the circle, spiralling in and out until she gave me a nice bend, then the reward was to switch to her 'good' side for a circle or two. We took a walk break with some leg yields and haunches in alternating with shoulder in because she finds that easy. We finished with some serpentines at a walk and trot. I didn't brave a canter today beyond a few strides down each long side.

Bridget was really good. Since she is opposite to Ginger in every way, her right side is the difficult side. We did the same exercises as with Ginger, although I kept the workload to a bare minimum and quit as soon as she offered what I wanted. We spent an additional ten minutes or so doing canter transitions. She's been quite tense about them again, so I'm back to asking for a nice transition, then a few strides and going back to trot - making it more about the transition rather than 'going fast' or 'doing a whole circle' or whatever's going on in pony brain to make her uptight :)

Big mare sadly lacking in the muscle tone category. Also, my saddle looks minature on her!

The big win of the day? I ponied Ginger back to the barn off of Bridget and they were wonderful. I won't lie - it feels pretty darn cool to ride one handed all western style with my second pony along for the ride. Midge doesn't quite neck rein, but she moves off my legs and seat well enough to easily steer and do a good job of being the pony horse. I just need to break out my western saddle to look truly legit ;)

Book Review: Making The Running

For some reason, I've been stuck on 'serious' horse books for a few weeks now. Fitness, training, even autobiographies. Dressage, eventing, even a reining book. All are guaranteed to keep me somewhat entertained before bed, but not "Whoa, it's 2AM and I have to work in the morning!" entertained.

So, I was happy when Hannah Hooton, the author of "Making The Running", asked me to review her new fictional 'racing romance' book. (As a side note, I don't often review the horsey books I'm reading, but there are a few on this blog now - would anyone appreciate me consolidating and adding them under their own tab? Much work, but anything for my wonderful readers ;)

And, back to the topic. "Making The Running" is another story set in the UK steeple chasing scene. Don't let the fact that it's book 4 of the Aspen Valley series intimidate you, it stands on it's own perfectly well. I even heard a rumor the first book in the series "Keeping the Peace" is currently free for download at Amazon, if you do want to start from the beginning!

As with the other books in the series, I really appreciated the author's writing. The story line isn't attempting to be super deep or meaningful, but in my opinion, that's a good thing. It's keeping on the right side of refreshing and fun without being trashy or unrealistic. All of the characters have their personal problems and dramatic moments, but there is an underlying sense of humor to it all I really appreciate. The writing is what really makes these books stand out from the rest of the adult horsey book series you see. I like Natalie Keller Reinert's books for the same reason - both authors seem to be a step above the rest as far as being able to create vivid (and believable) descriptions and conversations, although I find Hannah's books much more humorous.

"Making The Running" is probably my favorite since "Keeping The Peace". She's created a likeable and funny protagonist that would be hard not to root for. I wasn't as keen on some of the other characters and plot lines in this particular book, but I did love the horses, who all get their own character. I'm admittedly not super familiar with the racing scene in the UK, but all the horsey details felt right and well researched, an accomplishment in itself! As I said in a previous review I'm not normally a reader of romance novels, but I think it bears repeating that these aren't typical. I'd hesitate to really call them romances beyond the fact that most of the characters get a happily ever after in love ending, and who can fault that? The only real fault I found is that I was up until 2AM reading :)

Final verdict: If you're looking for something well written and fun that has some likeable horsey and human characters, check it out!

The disclaimer: The author provided me with a copy of her novel in exchange for this review. That being said, if I honestly didn't enjoy the book I wouldn't recommend it here (and would have likely chickened out from posting any review at all. ;)

Link to the Amazon Store here.

Moving Forward

I took the big mare out by myself today. It went well, and was probably one of the smarter things I've done recently. How was riding alone on a spooky horse you're not overly brave on smart, you ask? Here's the story.

Ginger was on her worst behaviour. Spooky, quick, and looking to tune me out and focus on anything but her rider. I kept S's advice in my head and just rode her like I ride Bridget on a bad day. Bridget is capable of being just as naughty, and I always handle it just fine. There is no reason it should be any different with Ginger - it's just my stupid negative self talk that tells me I can't do it.

Again, no photos from the day so you get some older ones to break up the text wall

Was it perfect? No, but there were a lot of really excellent moments. Since there was no one there to tell me what to do. I had to keep a level head and just ride through it and make what I wanted to happen, happen. There was no G on the sidelines - much as I love him, he worries about me on Ginger and I tend to ride passively in an effort to not pick any fights and get anyone worried . So, today, for the first time ever on the big mare, I just sucked it up and really rode. I picked a fight or two and the world didn't end. I didn't make compromises. I didn't pick the easy route for either of us. I made mistakes and she had to deal. The lightbulb moment? By focusing, taking charge and riding as confidently as I am capable of doing (a la Bridget), I never once felt unsafe or out of control. Instead, I felt a step ahead of the game. This is of course, a common sense approach for just about anything in life. Being proactive is a good thing! But try telling that to anxiety brain. Not easy. I'm hopeful that now I've pushed myself and done it once and it felt good, it will get easier and easier and the fear based stuff will go back into hiding.

To top it off, I took the pony on a trail loop to finish. Again, much drama and much forward. For whatever reason, I'm much braver on the trails, so this is a good strategy for us. Our west coast trails are mostly narrow and a bit technical, so bad ponies are essentially funneled forward and are forced to watch where they put their feet. As a rider, you just need to let them get on with it. Ginny is all about the forward, so she tackled bridges, creeks and mud holes with only a little hesitation, Of course, she's seen it all before but it's been literally years since I took her out anywhere alone. I'm proud of her for mostly keeping her head, and proud of myself for being brave enough to just stay out of her way, insist on forward, and trust her to get us where we were going.

Rome wasn't built in a day, so of course we will still be working on my confidence and Ginger's issues with focus for a while yet. But for the first time, maybe ever with this horse, I truly believe I can do this without a serious intervention or a ton of hand holding:)

(Nearly) WW: Shhhhhh

We're sleeping!

I suspect Bridget was supposed to be lookout. Never trust a lazy pony to be lookout.

Ginger was snoring, as was her buddy

Bridget was furthest away and the only one not totally comatose when I arrived. 

Oh hi Ginger

"OK, I'll get up if you insist on taking pictures while I'm sleeping". Except next she just rolled over and laid down again.

I'm flattered they all just slept on and let me wander around taking pictures. Guess I'm not as untrustworthy as Ginger would have you believe :) I made Ginger come in for a spa day, check one of my goals off the list, pony beard is gone and we have a bridle path and neatened mane and tail.

Pretty girl

                                              

Feb Recap/March Goals

I'm a bit late with my recap, because honestly, there isn't much to recap since I didn't set any big goals beyond my own health and fitness. Also, February is a dumb month with only 28 days. I need 31 at least ;) I rode and exercised regularly, I ate somewhat responsibly, but at last check my weight remains the same. That's OK, though - I'm feeling good, and so are the ponies.

I just like this recent picture of Ginger because it looks like it could be a peaceful summer day!

It's the time of year to start setting regular riding goals so here are some for March:

Self:
-Eat well.
-Exercise 5x a week. Walk min 10k/day on varied terrain or run/walk 5k.
-Ride min 5x a week.
-Be proactive about tackling my remaining hang ups re: riding Ginger - expand the comfort zone!
-Remember to be patient.
-Try to think more positively and confidently about myself and my riding skills. Recognize the negative self talk
-Housekeeping - budget for new boots (ordered them today!), sign up for remaining club memberships for summer riding activities and shows

Bridget:
-Weekly lessons.
-Improve canter departs and distance she can hold the canter
-Related to above, continue to work on pony`s overall fitness and willingness
-Tame the mane
-More trail rides, less ring work. (Find her happy place)
-Front shoes?
-Better trailer loading. She`s fine, but not as confident as she could be.

Ginger:
-Weekly lessons
-Survive clinic mid month
-Tame mane, beard, and tail
-Get her out and about (for the clinic plus trail rides)
-More tools to address lack of focus/spookiness/confidence.
-On that note, sign her up for the extreme trail cowboy clinic in April.
-Unhappy with her feet again - I need to be strong/assertive and discuss necessary changes with farrier at next visit. Or use Bridget`s farrier. Who does a really good job, but Ginger hates. And who isn`t `the barn`farrier. Sigh...so much drama.

Lucky

I'm so lucky to have such amazing blog readers - thanks so much for the comments on the previous post. Fear is a funny thing, but currently I am more excited than nervous about getting Ginger back out in the big world!

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have an invite to trailer in with a friend to meet up with a few more friends at our equestrian club grounds, with a trail ride to follow. This would have course been the perfect time to do a test run with Ginger, but I opted instead to take Bridget and see if the vastly bigger ring would make any difference in her efforts as far as the canter goes.

Bridget is ready to tackle anything

 And it did! A bit anyways. We cantered our first entire circle! Never mind that it was about 100 feet in diameter - we did it with no trot breaks. Of course everyone was ohhing and ahhing over Bridget's canter and giant trot and were in love with her cuteness. I'm not sure they realize just how hard the baby pony is to ride at the moment. We may or may not have sacrificed bend and contact the majority of the time, and our circles were more like giant eggs, since she was quite looky and spooky - but at least we had forward!

After that, we ventured out for a nice trail ride in the sunshine. I don't want to jinx anything, but we've had a couple of weeks now of mostly stunning weather. Warm and sunny all day, and only slightly below freezing at night. The grass is growing like crazy! Yesterday was no exception and I was comfortable in a long sleeve tee with a light vest over top. It was a treat to get out with friends, and we did even more cantering and even a quick gallop - Bridget was game and I think she'll be fine as my back up ride for the clinic.

Stopping at the top of the hill after a quick run.

The focus on my camera phone insists we only want to see Bridget's ears.

We're going to trailer Ginger in to the same ring next weekend or early next week and stay til the following weekend's clinic with a friend just a little bit up the road. The clinic is in the indoor arena and I'm not sure Ginger's been in one since our Alberta days - I figure a ride or two in there ahead of time will be time well spent! Also, a longer outing and a trailer ride there and back is about as close as we're going to get to simulating an away show for the big mare.

This guy is for sale and I want him! Why? Because he is the last foal from Ginger's dam and shares Bridget's sire. I've always joked about the perfect pony being a cross between Bridget and Ginger - this is as close at I'm going to get! 

All In A Muddle

This morning's lesson came a bit early for me. I was travelling yesterday and felt a bit run down when I got up this morning. Luckily, G volunteered to come prep the horses if I would buy him a coffee and a donut.  My groom works for cheap lol.

The lesson started with some ground poles. Long term readers will know Ginger and I have had some interesting times when there are extra items in the arena, so you can imagine the look on Ginger's face when she saw this:

Circle of death with a penalty box square in the centre.

S was present on the sidelines for Ginger's epic meltdown over a ground pole a couple of years ago that ended in me having a bad fall. She knows my fear is real. She was quick to offer to start out on Ginger and take her through the poles a few times. I happily accepted. And Ginger happily set out to prove to us that she is now a big girl and the boss of all the things! Seriously, she was wonderful and made it look easy and after not too much time at all, S was cantering a pole here and there.

Today you just get a bunch of recent randoms of Ginger that I (probably) haven't posted yet,

Midget, on the other hand, had a meltdown. So discouraging after our productive trail rides this week. Forward was again a huge issue, as was bending. We got it done, but the pony had her ears pinned and her nasty face on the majority of the lesson. Not exactly fun for anyone!

We switched up and I rode Ginger and had a decent ride. I'm still struggling with tension and not having the right 'feel' on her - I want to be too passive. S encouraged me to ride Ginger "like you ride Bridget!" which was exactly what I needed to hear and we had some better work at the end. And we totally kicked that pattern's butt and had fun. Goodbye, pole phobia! I've been feeling a little down about my riding so it was nice to have a big (for me) win.

After talking with S about the upcoming clinic, she encouraged me to take Ginger rather than Bridget. Her logic was that I'll learn more on Ginger, could use more help with Ginger, and will have more fun on her. Ginger is the more established horse and the one that could benefit the most from fine tuning. She is worried Bridget is still green and there isn't much a pro is going to be able to teach that we aren't already working on. Bridget is also so hot and cold she also might not bring her "A" game on the day and I'd be paying a very large sum of money to put on a demo of what a very stubborn pony looks like. 

 Logically, I know that all makes sense, but I've been practicing so much with Bridget I'll admit to being super disappointed about S's thoughts re Bridget not being 'at that level' or even worse, possibly not putting in an honest effort for me. It's not that I don't think she's right, it's just discouraging that it's not just me thinking it! We're going to keep playing around with some ideas to try to get Ms Bridget convinced ring work can be fun, but for now I think she is right in worrying a clinic with Bridget isn't the best use of my dollars.

So that leaves me scrambling a bit mentally. I wanted to take the easy way out and keep the fear demons at bay by bringing Bridget. I'm starting to feel fairly comfortable again riding Ginger in my own little bubble, but the big bad world still feels a little intimidating! Since we need to trailer in and spend a couple of nights away from home, it would be all around just easier to bring the laid back and adaptable Bridget! S is right though, Ginger is the one I need to 'cowgirl up' and take if I really want to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm anxious, but pretty excited at the same time.